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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23646802">Playing Dress Up</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/bastet_goddess/pseuds/basteel-starchild'>basteel-starchild (bastet_goddess)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Club Penguin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>BAMF Aunt Arctic, Blood?, Gen, also known as retro PSA, as you can all tell i am whipped for secret agent arctic, nah that's on brand, rinie dragged me into this, some ass kicking, some mafia undertones, surprise character - Freeform, the 90s au no one asked for, the brotp of the century, would you be surprised if i say this is in the human au again</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:47:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,985</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23646802</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/bastet_goddess/pseuds/basteel-starchild</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Cocktail parties weren't really her style. There were too much to pay attention to, like who she was talking to, or what she was eating, or how she was supposed to act around the popular and powerful. She may dislike going to them, but if was for the sake of the mission, then so be it. Arctic adjusted the blue dress she wearing as she walked about the room, scanning the perimeter for the faces of the people she was supposed to keep track of. </p><p>Something felt wrong to her when her count came short of one person.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aunt Arctic &amp; Gary (Club Penguin)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Playing Dress Up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Apparently, if I can be assed to work on a fic, I will work on it. </p><p>I should make more fics about this AU. Gary and Aunt Arctic have the best bromance y'all've ever seen. </p><p>For Rinie, who made art of 90's PSA and made me go bonkers for the AU.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Arctic leaned against the one of the standing tables as she sipped the glass of bubbly Cream Soda that was offered to her some ten or so minutes ago. Scanning the large ballroom below her, she identified the faces of the people she was supposed to keep an eye on, the royal family and the Moderators who were with them, before reaching for her ear and pretending to pull a strand of hair back, finger pressing down on the earpiece she was wearing, “Gary, checking in. Nothing unusual.” </p><p> </p><p>From across the ballroom, she can see Gary fidgeting by the punch bowl, holding a hand up as well to his ear to adjust his glasses. The man in question cut a dashing figure in the tuxedo he borrowed from the PSA rental office, nevermind the fact that some parts felt too tight for him and some were too loose. His voice cut through the chatter around her, “That’s the fifth time you’ve said that for the past hour, Arctic.”  </p><p> </p><p>Arctic smoothly pushed herself off of the standing table and made her way around the room, looking at the people around her and offering smiles to those who looked back. The Moderators were holding a party for the royal family of a kingdom allegedly found in the trenches of the ocean. Everyone who was someone has flocked to the main government building 一 redecorated for the party 一 to celebrate their visit, with Cream Soda and expensive food flowing freely for the guests to enjoy. She and Gary have been dispatched to make sure that nothing went wrong during the whole celebration.</p><p> </p><p>If she were being honest about this current situation, Arctic would say that the grounds of why they had to be there were ridiculous. Apparently, the royal family possessed magic, and that said magic has caught the attention of the various criminal masterminds and mafias of the Island. Nothing about the Family looked magical to her, except maybe the bright, luminous teal of their hair. Beyond that, they looked ordinary to her, like regular people who lived on the Island.</p><p> </p><p>But it wasn’t her business to protest against the Moderators’ orders. She was nothing but a field agent, tasked with carrying out whatever was asked of her for the sake of Island security. Arctic took another sip of her Cream Soda before accidentally bumping into someone, her Cream Soda spilling slightly on her skin. She muttered out apologies as the man reached over to pat her down with his handkerchief. She looked up to see who it was before her eyes briefly widened, forcing herself to compose herself before slipping away and continuing her rounds around the room.</p><p> </p><p>“I just knocked into Hopkins! How many have been deployed to come here, exactly?” Arctic asked as she discarded her glass on one of the tables, picking up another as a waiter passed by. Hopkins was the sixth PSA agent she bumped into tonight, who looked just as surprised to see her. Studying the third glass of Cream Soda in her hand, she wondered how long it would take her before she decided to drain the drink as well. </p><p> </p><p>“All the major teams are in here.” Gary replied smoothly after a moment, words sounding like they’re being talked around something heavy. A brief check to where he was standing confirmed that he was standing by the cheese platter, munching on a cracker piled high with cheese. “You read the invitation. Everyone who was someone is here.” </p><p> </p><p>Apparently that carried over to agents, too. Before Hopkins, Arctic spotted the Vergara siblings talking to one of the Moderators, most likely the one in Tech and Innovations given the smile on Gillian’s face. Then she stood next in line at the buffet with Bryson, who offered to fix her a plate before helping himself. Some time after that it was Snaps dancing with someone on the dance floor, and then Kohli by the balcony. </p><p> </p><p>Every major agent she’s known is on the field now, with her, in the same room. It was either overkill or a move erring on the side of caution. She looked to where the King was, a middle-aged man with long, flowing hair, to the circlet placed atop his head. He attracted attention like a magnet, so surely he would not be made the target for tonight. She looked for the other people of the household, identifying them by the color of their hair, before finding one missing.</p><p> </p><p>“Gary, where’s the Prince?” She asked slowly, making her way down the stairs as gracefully as she could manage. The crowds here were a bit more thicker than the ones upstairs, so she had no choice but to keep her Cream Soda close as she shuffled in between people. If some of it spilled onto her dress, she didn’t notice it. </p><p> </p><p>The earpiece whined a little due to their proximity, but Gary’s response was loud and clear, “Playing with the Tvarkov twins.” </p><p> </p><p>She clicked her earpiece off as she finally stood next to Gary, who was still stationed near the cheese platter. She gratefully took a cracker handed over to her and popped it into her mouth, manners be damned as she savored the flavor of it. She leaned against the wall and slipped a foot out of her heels, rotating the ankle and curling the toes to get some blood running back through it again. </p><p> </p><p>“I just walked past the Tvarkov twins, G.” Arctic said calmly, voice kept low as she turned to him. As she stood, she noticed that the heels she had to wear made her just as tall as Gary, maybe taller if she stood a little straighter, but that height boost meant nothing when it made her feet pinch in return. She slipped her foot back into her heels and slid the other off, repeating the same motions as she continued speaking. “They have their own security detail on them. I didn’t see a teal haired boy around them.” </p><p> </p><p>“He must’ve ran off, then.” Gary shrugged, offering no other explanation, taking Arctic’s glass of Cream Soda and raising it in question before she nodded. She watched as he tilted his head up and drained the glass in one go, a rasp in his words as he continued, “You know kids, Ava. They’re little bundles of energy.” </p><p> </p><p>She nodded once more as she scanned the room slowly, taking in the familiar faces of the Moderators before looking for the faces of the royal family. Every now and then her line of sight would catch that of one of the other PSA agents in the room, and sometimes she would stop to study their faces. Gauge what they’re feeling. She still couldn’t see the Prince. When she looked around the second time, she let her eyes linger on the other PSA agents a little more. They looked just as confused. Just as concerned.</p><p> </p><p>Something was wrong.</p><p> </p><p>“Come with me.” She took Gary’s wrist and pulled him towards her, easily slipping her arm in to grip his to make it look more natural. She nodded at Moderators they passed by, the twins when they saw them, before stepping out and into the hallways, pulling away to get to the courtyard.</p><p> </p><p>It seemed everyone else had the same idea, because pretty soon the others joined them, each bearing a serious look on their faces as they stepped into the courtyard. Arctic studied each of them as she looked behind them to see if there was anyone left, before turning back to the small group of agents.</p><p> </p><p>“The Prince is missing.” Hopkins started first, the frown on his face deep. “I say we split up and look around the building and the grounds.”</p><p><br/><br/>“Shouldn’t we alert the royal family and Moderators first?” Kohli asked, pulling out a PSA-issued phone that was strapped to her stockings’ garter. </p><p> </p><p>“No, we need to confirm it first.” Gary shook his head, “But it would look suspicious if all of us are out here. Some of us need to go back inside, pretend that nothing’s wrong.” </p><p> </p><p>“I say we synchronize earpiece channels so that we’re all in the loop.” One of the Vergara siblings, Gillian, said, “In case this is what we think it is, we’ll need all the help we can get.” </p><p> </p><p>Arctic nodded, “Good call.” </p><p> </p><p>Soon, the group managed to split up and scatter around the grounds in search of the missing Prince. Arctic opted to work around the gardens that were all over the courtyards, hoping that the boy just went off to smell the flowers or some sense. Walking briskly, she wished she grabbed her coat in the coat room before stepping out of here, cursing herself for thinking it was a good idea to wear such a thin dress during the full intensity of incoming winter.</p><p> </p><p>Standing in the center of the gardens, she closed her eyes and tilted her head back to listen for any noise. She could only hear the shaking of the branches on the nearly barren trees, the way the dried leaves dragged themselves against the ground. Every now and then, a report from one of the agents would come into her earpiece and inform her of their current location, which was comforting to say the least. </p><p> </p><p>There were no voices. She opened her eyes once more and walked around this garden, studying the bushes that were losing their leaves, the large trees losing some branches. This place was quiet, no one has been here. She had to keep moving.</p><p> </p><p>“This is Arctic. No one is in my part of the garden.” Arctic said into her earpiece, walking out of the garden while using both hands to warm up her arms. Her skin prickled with goosebumps from the chill of the wind, her regret only nagging the back of her head as she looked around and thought of where else she could find the boy. Through her messy thoughts, she spied the greenhouse, the one cared for by Moderators Gerbrandt and Hendricks. The lights in it were still on. “Hey, Gerbrandt and Hendricks personally tend to the greenhouse, right?”</p><p><br/><br/>“They call it their baby.” Bryson confirmed over the earpiece, not hearing the way her breath hitched as he asked, “What’s wrong?”</p><p><br/><br/>She didn’t bother to reply as she quickly made her way to the greenhouse, breaking out into a short jog. Arctic could see it clearer now, the greenhouse that glowed amidst the darkness. It was the personal project of both Gerbrandt and Hendricks, a well-known pastime curated generously by the Island media. From here, she could see the flowers that were in full bloom despite the season, the forest-like greenery that crawled up its walls. </p><p> </p><p>When she stepped in, it was like being back in the ballroom. Humidity hit her with full force as she felt a shiver run down her spine from the sudden shift in temperatures. She crouched down as she quickly caught the Prince, who was seated near one cluster of rose bushes, a terrified look on his face as two men stood over him. </p><p> </p><p>“How much do you think we can get off of him, hm?” One of the men spoke, his words echoing around the greenhouse. “5 million? 7 million?” <br/><br/></p><p>“If you’re right about him being the heir to their throne, I’d say triple of that.” Another man replied, “Now when are you going to sedate him?”</p><p> </p><p>“When the car gets here, then I will.” The first man replied as Arctic inched closer to them, pulling back the slit of her skirt to pull out a PSA-issued dart gun. She checked to see if the safety was off, “I’d rather rile him up a little longer, you know?”</p><p><br/><br/>“Let me go!” The Prince yelled, voice shaky despite the conviction in his words. When he looked around for help, his eyes immediately locked on hers, making her quickly pull a finger up to press over her lips. As he turned back to his captors, she inched closer to where he was. </p><p> </p><p>“Shut it, kid.” One of the men sneered.</p><p> </p><p>Standing up, she pointed the dart gun and clicked her earpiece to life, “You heard the Prince, boys. Let him go.” </p><p> </p><p>Their words melded together.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s the PSA!” </p><p><br/><br/>“Get the boy!”</p><p><br/><br/>She quickly stood in front of the Prince and turned to him briefly, keeping her gun up as the men pulled out their own guns. “Run, your highness!” </p><p> </p><p>She only watched him scramble back for a second before turning back to the two men, narrowly avoiding a gunshot that was aimed towards her. She fired a shot but missed as one of the men slammed into her, making her lose her gun as she found herself flat on her back, wrestling the man on top of her. </p><p> </p><p>Arctic angled her head back as a shot crackled in the air, narrowly missing another bullet as she reached up and grabbed the man in front of her with both hands, rearing her head back before slamming it against his. The resounding crack of his nose and the cry afterward was enough for her to push him back, sitting up, ignoring the soil that stuck to her skin as she swiveled and punched the man rushing towards her. She felt the blood beginning to make its way down her nose as she dived down and grabbed for her gun, taking it in one hand and flipping on her back quick enough to fire a shot directly at the man charging at her.</p><p> </p><p>Standing up, she was about to fire another shot at the man who was still on the ground when he batted the barrel away, sending it flying across the room and knocking against several flower pots. She winced out an apology to the plants as she heard the pots break, stepping back as the man lunged at her. She avoided a swing and pulled her fists closer to herself, aiming for a swing to his chest before sweeping his legs underneath him.</p><p> </p><p>That would’ve been a successful move if he hadn’t grabbed her just before he went down. Arctic saw stars in her vision as her head smacked against the ground, her world spinning as she groaned and closed her eyes. </p><p> </p><p>The man was on top of her again. She felt the barrel pressed against her forehead. “Don’t you move.” </p><p> </p><p>Arctic opened her eyes to stare him down, looking at the rabid look in his eyes as he looked back at her. His suit was disheveled, untidy from the rough housing they’ve been doing, eyes blown wide with anger. The metal felt cold as she slowly inched her arm upwards. </p><p> </p><p>“Hope you don’t shoot as fast as you get angry.” She said, mostly to herself, before rearing her fist back to punch him in the throat.</p><p> </p><p>He staggered back and clutched his throat as he sat down, a wheeze spilling from his lips. Arctic sat up and took a deep breath in as adrenaline continued to course through her system, looking around to see if there were any other threats she had to keep an eye out for. Her eyes landed on a shadow in the corner, identifying it as the Prince, who was hiding behind a large tree. </p><p> </p><p>“Didn’t I tell you to run, Your Highness?” Arctic frowned as he ambled forward, a little hesitant to approach her, especially with the bodies a few feet away from her. His hair was a bright, brilliant teal, almost like seaweed. She found it rather fascinating. </p><p> </p><p>“Are they dead?” He asked shyly, gaze flitting between her and the two men behind her.</p><p> </p><p>She found herself smiling, “No, sir, they’re only sleeping.” </p><p> </p><p>After a moment of observing her and the two men, the Prince seemed satisfied with her reply and finally sat down next to her, angling his head back to look at her better. “My name’s Rory.” </p><p> </p><p>Arctic extended her hand to shake his smaller one, “It’s good to meet you, Prince Rory. My name’s Ava Arctic.” </p><p> </p><p>It seemed that then was the right time to come in, because suddenly the other PSA agents and members of the security team barged in, all of them carrying their own dart guns as they surrounded the greenhouse. A pair of security men came and cuffed the two men, a team trailing behind them to collect the unconscious bodies, paying no mind to the PSA agent who was still on the ground. Arctic spied the PSA agents who were quickly approaching her, the worried looks on their faces as they slowed down.</p><p> </p><p>“Ava! We’ve been worried sick!” Bryson said as they crouched down next to her, only pausing as he realized that they were also in the presence of the Prince. The child smiled and waved at them as they looked at him in awe, turning back to Arctic who simply shrugged. He shrugged off his suit coat to drape it over her, “We thought we lost you or something!”</p><p><br/><br/>“Well, I’m here.” Arctic smiled as she gratefully accepted the coat. She watched as the Prince was taken by one of the security teams, saying that he was being looked for by his parents. The Prince, Rory, her mind reminded her, turned back to wave at her before disappearing with the men. “Are we good now? Can we go back to Headquarters?” </p><p> </p><p>“I think we’ve all earned the rest of the night off.” Hopkins nodded, holding out a hand to help her up. As she stood, he took out his handkerchief and passed it to her, which she pressed against her nose. “Moderator Priebe invited us back in to celebrate for the rest of the night. He wants to meet you.” </p><p> </p><p>“I think I’ll wait a little longer.” Arctic said as she dusted herself off, taking a deep breath as she surveyed the glass greenhouse around them. “I’m a little tired of playing dress up.” </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Prince Rory? More likely than you think.</p><p>The names of the moderators are based off of the names of actual staff of Club Penguin.</p><p>I really am whipped for secret agent Aunt Arctic. </p><p>Stay tuned for more, if ever I can convince my brain cell to work.</p><p>Well. That was a whole day spent avoiding paperwork.</p><p>Leave your kudos and reviews on the way out, thank you so much!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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